Faith Filled Friday

Hello and welcome back to another Faith Filled Friday. 

How many of us fear the automobile breakdown, especially one that happens in the middle of the night, far from any help and out of range from any cell phone towers or even other drivers? I drive for a living through areas like this in the middle of the night and on occasion it happens. This is one of my bigger prayers; that God watch over me and help me to get through the night of work and back home regardless of what happens…and it happened!

There I was, miles from nowhere and my car’s lights went super dim. I pulled over right away, popped the hood and the serpentine belt was still good. I instantly suspected the alternator and or battery. Knowing I needed to make it back to cell phone range, or even better, home, I started driving back towards help. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. As I started to drive I asked God to please give me enough juice in the battery to get me there. Shortly after my prayer the lights went completely out and my car died. It was so strange to pray one second and then the very next break down. So there I was, a man with a flashlight... a new bright one I might add, thinking how can I get help? For a mere moment I felt completely stranded and helpless.

That thought only resided in me for a moment and I remembered an old battery jumper I keep for emergencies. But this was different. If the alternator isn't charging the battery once it starts it would do me no good. But then it came to me: Why not hook up the clamps to the battery and let the battery jumper be my primary power for the car, and instead of using the headlights (which drain a car battery very quickly while the car is running) use the new bright flashlight I had just purchased the week before when my other one broke? It was worth a try! 

Imagine this: There I was in the darkness pulling a Macgyver. Got it hooked up and braced so it wouldn't move around while driving back.

 As I got back in and pulled the seatbelt over me and clicked in. I knew I had to pray again...and so I did. I sat there for a moment and went through the checks in my head: Power for battery, check; flashlight, check; prayer for safety, check. Without hesitation I turned the key and it started! I flipped the flashlight on holding it out the window and I was off. There I was driving down the road getting closer and closer to help and as I did, I felt a confidence in me. I really got to thinking about all the things that had unfolded to get me going again.

You see I think when I first prayed when I was breaking down I thought God had answered back instantly by letting me break down that moment right after my prayer. But now while scooting back down the road, I had a different thought: What if God was looking out for me long before I prayed that night? What if a week earlier when my other flashlight broke that was not very bright had worked for another week? Without the new bright flashlight I could not have driven like that. Where did I think to use a jumper far beyond what it was meant for? It occurred to me that through life I have been in these really bad spots, while as a child, in the military, and now many times as a civilian. Somehow I have made it through all of them. I realized that this confidence in me that night was not solely mine; it was the feeling of strength that once again God was helping me get through something. 

One of my struggles in life is abandonment. It has built traits in me that I deal with frequently. I can't put in words how good it felt to break down and strategically think my way out of a hard predicament. But that isn't my goal here. My goal here is to inspire you friends while reminding me that at any moment, that even something breaking down such as a flashlight might just be God cleverly intervening. 

What I ended up with by breaking down that night is something I have really been lacking in my life... confidence. God gave me the basic necessities, and let me use my own mind, my own knowledge to get back. As I wrote this I started crying…tears of joy. Amazing the man who struggles and breaks down, only to come away from it feeling empowered and backed by God. How lucky we are to be loved by such a higher power. 

So did I make it back? Yes I did... and more. Soon as I got back into town I turned on the headlights and thought I'd see just how far I'd get to home. As I turned the corner for home, the lights went super dim and although I didn't break down again, it was really close. I spent the rest of that day ripping apart my vehicle to fix the alternator. All I can say is ... GOD IS GOOD!

Much love everyone... Till next time, feel God in your sails...

John